New to this, pool to pond conversion question

[kettish]

I'm in a home that had an absolutely dilapidated old pool out back-vinyl lining kept us from cleaning and using it ourselves (didn't have money to hire someone to do it professionally), so now I'm looking into putting some aquatic plants and some fish into it.

Now it's been sitting for two years, and I tested the water today with a pool kit-says the pH is about 7.5, and that there's NO chlorine or bromine in the water at all. Is it safe to start stocking? I figured on starting out with feeder goldfish until I knew whether it was going to work or not.

Thanks for your help and advice-I'm so new to this! -kettish.

 

[Toby_H]

Chances are... it's safe to start stocking...

If it's had rotting leaves or anything else organic it may already be "cycled"... I would do a fairly standard water test on it... ammonia, nitrite, nitrate... PH, GH, KH...

Consider roots penetrating your liner when considering plants. I far from an expert on aquatic plants, but I do know that on plants in general root systems can be fairly invasive and persistent.

 

[kettish]

Hm, somebody at a plant forum pointed this out to me as well. If I sunk a large plastic bucket (the kind with the rope handles) with dirt in it, and put the plant into that, do you think that would work?

Alternatively, I suppose it should be pointed out that a laaaarge amount of water has collected on top of the pool 'cover' (which is really just a large tarp held down by cement blocks). Maybe the plants would stay on top of the pool cover, and leave the liner alone?

Off to Walmart to go buy some sacrificial feeder goldfish now!